We’ve been buried in boatwork lately, and we’re making good progress, but we always knew we had more projects than what our timeframe would allow. Here’s a quick project update to keep things interesting!

We were hoping to be out of here by mid-December, and while the 15th is looking more dicey every day, we’re getting closer to wrapping things up. Since we got home from Thanksgiving, I don’t think we’ve had a single day where we haven’t received a package. A lot of boat stuff, a ton of stuff to stock our First Aid Kit, and a few fun things.

What have we been up to? We’ve made progress on every single project I listed in our short term plan, so I’m counting that as a win. Here’s some photos of the big stuff!

Table removal

I’ll have to do a longer post on this because this project was much bigger than anticipated. As we started to deconstruct the table (and wonder if it would fit through our door!) we found that it was heavily fiberglassed to the floor. 

Because of the fiberglass dust, we had to completely empty the salon and galley (living room and kitchen), mask everything off, grind the fiberglass, then clean the entire living area – ceiling to floor! – three times.

However, we survived, and now we’ve got a lovely lift-top coffee table in its place.

New Galley Sinks

The old galley sinks were tiny. They wouldn’t fit our big plates at all, and the small round plates would easily get stuck down in the round sinks.

The new sinks are big. We no longer have a giant puddle on the floor every time we wash dishes!

Refinishing the Brightwork

I didn’t think the brightwork (all the wood trim and cabinet doors) looked too bad until I started taking it down to refinish. Some cabinet doors had mildew or something on the inside, that sanded right off.

We have two bathrooms that double as showers. The interior side of the bathroom door has a formica laminate to protect it from water, but the exterior veneer was in ROUGH shape. These were not going to last very long with layers peeling away and flaking off.

Fortunately, some glue sealed those right up and sanding smoothed out the texture somewhat. They don’t look great, but they’ll last a lot longer with three coats of polyurethane. Kyle is super stoked about how shiny all the brightwork is turning out.

Me, I’m just happy to be done trying to fit into the bathroom to paint the trim.

Hard Top and Solar

We finally got a welder to come out and add extra bracing to the bimini superstructure late last week. We struggled to get added to his schedule, but once he was here he did a fantastic job and the prices were surprisingly reasonable. 

With the superstructure prepped for the added weight, we got right to work fitting and cutting the starboard. If you think Kyle is dressed like he’s about to go rob a bank…well, boats are expensive. You gotta make it work somehow.

We’re just getting into this project but so far it’s made the cockpit so much brighter (the old fabric top was navy blue). It’s challenging to make this look professional instead of homemade. We’ll reserve judgment for when it’s completed.

Dinghy Engine

The dinghy engine mount had corroded and seized, so it took about four days of penetrating oil and cajoling to unhook it. The engine is now in the shop for a thorough inspection and carburetor cleaning.

Fuel Shut Off Valves

This was an issue that came up in the survey, the shut off valves are corroded and rusty. Kyle and his dad emptied our diesel tanks and removed the old valves, we’re waiting on the new valves to come in.

Running Rigging and Trampolines

I’m grouping these together because we’ve bought the materials for both projects, but haven’t done anything on them yet. We’re stoked about the new trampoline material though, we think it will be a great aesthetic improvement. The old material mesh is pretty solid, which means if we start going through big waves it has a strong resistant force and might blow out. The new trampolines are more like nets, water should pass right through.

Slow Cooker Sourdough Bread

Hey, we might be busy working, but we’ve still gotta eat, right? When we were in Kentucky, my aunt gave me a sourdough starter, I made my first loaf in the slow cooker! I didn’t get my hopes up, but the bread turned out surprisingly good! 

The first rise didn’t do anything, and I was complaining to Kyle that bread is my Achilles heel in the kitchen, until he pointed out that it was about 60°F inside. Not great weather for bread. I turned the slow cooker on warm and that fixed the rising issue.

Which brings me to our biggest challenge right now:

Weather

The weather has been COLD and RAINY and it is extremely hard to get anything done in weather like that. Fortunately we had sun yesterday and today and even though outdoor temps are in the 40°s, we got a lot done. Temps should warm up tomorrow but we’ve got more rain this weekend. 

At least when we can’t get anything done, we can go irritate the cats. Check out this grumpy old man, he’s pretending he’s not paying any attention to me. In reality he’s waiting until I turn my back so he can sneak aboard my boat and explore. 

And now I’m fighting marina internet to get this uploaded and posted. JUST ANOTHER DAY IN THE LIFE.